Surface Phone is likely to be Nexus phone of Windows 10 Mobile

The Surface Phone is likely to be an experimental phone and a standard bearer for Microsoft's efforts for Windows 10 Mobile -- just like Google's Nexus phones for Android.

With not many OEM partners evincing support to Windows 10 Mobile, Microsoft has taken it upon themselves to come up with what it believes will be the finest hardware configuration to run Windows 10 Mobile. That’s alleged Surface Phone for the rest of the world and is believed to be taking shape at the Surface division of Microsoft that has churned out the Surface line of two-in-one hybrid devices.

However, details are scarce at the moment with Microsoft not even acknowledging the existence of such a phone. Word on the tech street though mentions the Surface Phone will be ready towards the end of the year.

Meanwhile, here are some specs that are being associated with the Surface Phone. Aimed to be used in the corporate sector, expect the Windows phone to be a top-notch performer with maybe an Intel Atom X3 chip making up the core of the device. Also, the device could benefit from a 4GB of RAM along with 64GB internal storage with the latter expandable further to another 128 GB.

Up front, it’s going to be a 5-inch plus sized display lit up by 1440 x 2560 pixels and AMOLED tech for enhanced picture clarity. Further, there could be a 21-megapixel rear snapper with another 8-megapixel front cam for selfie shots or business chats.

Also, owing its allegiance with a device range as sturdy and robust as the Surface, the phone derivative of the same is expected to carry on much the same vein, which means magnesium and aluminum based construction for the Surface Phone. This no doubt will set new standards in the way flagships are built together at the moment.

However, while no one might have any qualms at how powerful and capable a device the Surface Phone will eventually turn out to be, the real deal maker (or deal breaker) could be the Windows 10 platform it will be based on.

Moreover, the one aspect that Microsoft will have to consider here is what advantage the Surface Phone will have to offer to entice buyers that already are well off with their iOS or Android devices. The real battle in the smartphone segment is not about the hardware specification but how fulfilling an experience the platform can provide to users.

As if issues with Windows Phone 8/8.1 weren’t enough, Windows 10 Mobile perhaps has only compounded the problem. One can only hope Microsoft is able to kick out the issues well in time before the Surface Phone arrives to ensure it gets the perfect launch platform that the recent Lumia devices – read Lumia 950 and 950 XL, the Lumia 550 while the Lumia 650 has just been launched – surely lacked. Once the initial launch hype has died out, the devices have largely been shadowed by their Android or iOS counterparts.

In a nutshell, the alleged Surface Phone is likely to be an experimental phone and a standard bearer for Microsoft’s efforts for Windows 10 Mobile — just like Google’s Nexus phones for Android — and can provide a solid opportunity for OEMs to innovate range of their devices.

However, it has to start with Windows 10 Mobile operating system, making it a stable and reliable platform that its users deserve. The Windows 10 app ecosystem too has to be endowed with some much-needed depth to ensure users of Windows based smartphones get to utilize their device to the fullest potential.

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It is only then that Microsoft can have the backing it needs from its hardware partners to come with the kind and range of devices needed for the Windows platform to take off. While the Surface two-in-one hybrid devices served well as the reference point for its hardware partners to come up with various iterations of the same for the PC segment, the same isn’t just applicable for the smartphones. That simply because Microsoft already has a sizeable presence in the PC segment to start off with but none so with smartphones.

It will be really interesting to see how things pan out in the next few months with Windows 10 Mobile. The Redstone build 14267 is already reported to have reached Insiders in the Fast Ring and is expected to breathe new life into the OS.

Whatever the future holds for Windows 10 phones, it’s fair to say that such a phone will be at the forefront, even if they don’t find a place in many consumers’ pockets.

1 COMMENT

Um, there are about 15 or so OEMs with W10M phones. That’s not bad given that the OS hasn’t officially shipped outside of the 950 series.

Next, who says the Surface Phone has to be Intel only? It’s very likely that it will shop with both an Intel and a Qualcoom ARM. Furthermore, it’s possible the x3 was found to be underpowered, and MS is working with Intel to integrate its latest LTE modem into an SoC package with possibly a yet to be announced x7 processor.